


Potential

by Arsenic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-06-24
Updated: 2007-06-24
Packaged: 2020-10-14 04:29:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20594726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arsenic/pseuds/Arsenic
Summary: There can always be something more.





	Potential

**Author's Note:**

> Written for femmequixotic's prompt in the Write For Me meme

Harry had instituted Sunday Night Dinners. Hermione suspected it was largely just so that he could get Severus out of the labs and see her at least once a week, since none of them had any particular allegiance to the Anglican Church, or any church, for that matter. But once a week, every week, Harry would cook dinner and insist that Hermione come to the house he and Severus had shared ever since Dumbledore had deeded it to both of them and neither was willing to give it over to the other.

Sunday Night Dinners had come about as part of the Tentative Truce phase of Severus' and Harry's relationship, and had continued well into the burning-passionate-love-of-which-we-shall-never-speak phase.

It made it easy enough for Hermione to ignore what went on between the two men if she so chose. In fact, they both clearly preferred that she did.

Which was probably why she very nearly choked to death on a piece of chicken when Harry said, in the middle of one fairly sedate Sunday Night Dinner, "Er, Hermione, you don't-- It's not just girls for you, right?"

Severus rolled his eyes, but she noticed he stopped eating, which he only did when he was completely on edge.

She took a sip and said, "Not _just_, no." Mostly, but not just.

"Because we were thinking, Severus and I, that is--"

"No, Harry, because I'm sure she was thinking that pronoun referred to you and the entirety of your colleagues." Severus dabbed at his mouth with a napkin, despite not having eaten in the past three minutes.

"Er, right. Anyway. We were thinking that if you mightn't be opposed--"

Severus interrupted, cutting to the main point. "We'd rather like to have sexual intercourse with you, Miss Granger."

"Could you please not call her that when we're talking about shagging?" Harry asked.

Severus' facial muscles did not move an inch. Harry sighed. Hermione took a sip of her water to give herself time to think. She realized, rather quickly, that regardless of how much time she had, her question was still going to be, "Why?"

Severus looked at her as though she were stupid, which was actually quite par for the course and Hermione knew he didn’t actually believe it, so she ignored him. Harry's mouth was hanging open. He closed it enough to manage, "_Why?_"

Hermione felt as though she'd entered the house and stepped into another planet. "Yes, _why_. You two are perfectly happy together."

Harry and Severus looked at each other. After a long silence it was Severus who said, softly, "It seems that _perfectly_ is not as happy as we both ideally could be."

"Oh," Hermione said, because she really didn't have anything else to say. It was one thing to have fantasies of the sort one never, ever spoke of, it was entirely something else to have one of those come true. Hermione dug her nails into her wrist, just to be sure.

She didn't awaken alone.

Harry smiled at her, his goofiest, most hopeful grin, the one nothing and nobody had ever been able to take from him. Severus sat with solemn, unsure eyes, almost hidden by the rigid posture of his body. Almost.

"I think. . . I think I would quite like that," Hermione said, and helped herself to another serving of carrots.


End file.
